Craftmanship

Begg & Co’s highly skilled craftsmen strive for perfection, and one of the luxuries of a small-scale company is that its employees can pay fastidious attention to every single scarf that is produced. These master craftsmen are trained to an exacting standard and take immeasurable pride in their work, not resting until they consider each piece to be faultless.

Inside the factory, traditional, time-tested production techniques are applied, such as pummelling the cloth in a century-old wooden milling machine to release short fibres for a soft handle, or using specially grown hand-harvested Italian teasel plant heads, brushed on with a sprinkling of Scottish water, to create that characteristic ripple effect. For other purposes, cutting-edge equipment comes into play, and Begg & Co is continually investing in new state-of-the-art systems such as its computerised jacquard weaving machines.

When it comes to selecting materials, Begg & Co uses the finest raw fibres available and carries out regular tests to ensure the purity of the yarn. Once spun into yarn, the fibres are then woven, washed, brushed, hand-cut and meticulously finished, before being given a final inch-by-inch inspection by two craftsmen.

From storing yarn at a precisely controlled humidity to pressing finished products in paper to give them that signature glossy sheen, every little detail is thought of in the Begg & Co factory, and every task, however small, is given the care and attention it deserves. Manufacturing excellence requires dedication, devotion and years of practice.